Swivel electrical connector with floatable means



Match 2, 1948. A. E. ANDERSON 2 3 SWIVEL ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH FLOATABLE MEANS Filed July 24, 1945 4 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. 1'72 5.64A-6442QW 4 clgm March 2, 1948. r A. E. ANDERSON SWIVEL ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH FLOATABLE MEANS Filed July 24, 1943 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

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SWIVEL ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH FLOA'I'ABLE MEANS Filed July 24. 1945 4 SheetsSheet 3 b S k s P v IN V EN TOR.

March 2, 1948. A. E. ANDERSON SWIVEL ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH FLOATABLE MEANS 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed July 24, 194:5

INVENTOR.

Patented Mar. 2, 1948 SWIVEL ELECTRICAL CONNECTOR WITH FLOATABLE MEANS Alf E. Anderson, Milton, Mass.

Application July 24, 1943, Serial No. 496,013

7 Claims. (01. 173-324) This invention relates to a swivel electrical connector which is particularly applicable among other uses to a nautical communication system and to the electrical power radio and telephone transmission circuits for power operated revolving guns or gun turrets.

The invention has for an object to provide a novel and improved swivel electrical connector adapted for general use in an electrical system having a plurality of conductors connected to a rotary member and which is designed to permit rotation of said rotary member without entanglement of the conductors or interruption of contact with the source of supply.

With this general object in view, and such others as may hereinafter appear, the invention consists in the swivel electrical connector and the communication system, and in the various structures, arrangements and combinations of parts hereinafter described and particularly defined in the claims at the end of this specification.

In the drawings illustrating the preferred embodiment of the invention, Fig. 1 is a longitudinal cross section through a swivel connector embodying the invention, the connector being illustrated as mounted upon a mooring buoy; Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the swivel connector, some of the parts being shown in cross section and some of the parts being shown detached to more clearly illustrate the construction; Fig. 3 is a partial side elevation of the swivel connector unit, as viewed from the underside of Fig. 2; Figs. 4, 5, 6 and '7 are enlarged transverse sectional views taken on the lines 44, 5-5, 66 and 1-1 respectively of Fig. 1 Fig. 8 is a cross section on the line 8-8 of Fig. 7; Fig. 9 is a side elevation of the receptacle casing showing a cover attached thereto for use when the plug is removed; Fig. 10 is a front elevation of the receptacle casing with the cover removed, the latter being shown attached thereto by a chain; Fig. 11 is a side elevation of the plug casing shown with a cover attached thereto for use when the plug casing is detached from the receptacle casing; and Fig. 12 is a front elevation of the plug casing shown with the cover member detached and connected thereto by a chain.

In general, the present invention contemplates an improved swivel electrical connector for general use in any electrical system in which a plurality of conductors are arranged for connection to a rotary member and in which provision is made for connecting the conductors so as to permit rotation thereof without undue strain upon the connections or disruption of the service. The

present swivel electrical connector comprises in general a stationary member connected to a fixed portion of the apparatus in which it is embodied, and is provided with a cable leading from the source of supply and a rotatable case member mounted for rotation in said stationary member provided with a cable connected to the rotatable portion of said apparatus for rotation therewith.

The present invention may be embodied with advantage in any device having a rotary member requiring electrical service, one example of which comprises an embodiment in a piece of ordnance having a rotatable gun mount. In such an embodiment the stationary member of the swivel connector may be mounted in the gun base and the rotatable member mounted for rotation with the rotatable gun mount and having a cable-carrying conductor leading to the control motors, signals and the like.

An important feature of the invention resides in the novel construction of the swivel connector which includes a central insulating core having a plurality of contact rings mounted thereon and in which provision is made for securing the individual leads to their respective contact rings in a simple and convenient manner, and in which provision is made for retaining, the individual leads and their contact rings in assembled relation with the insulating core in a most efficient and satisfactory manner whereby the individual wires are maintained in spaced relation and maximum insulating protection is afforded. The core member is preferably hollow, being provided with a central opening through which a pipe may be extended for providing other utilities such as compressed air, water, or steam.

The invention is herein illustrated as adapted for use in ship to shore communication in which the swivel connector may be embodied in a mooring buoy and is provided with a permanent connection or cable leading from the mooring buoy to shore, and, a detachable cable connection leading from the mooring buoy to the ship. The present swivel connection is designed to permit the ship to drift around the buoy without unduly twisting or straining the cable or its connections, the cable plug and receptacle casings being permitted to swivel with relation to the mooring buoy as the ship drifts under the influence of the wind or tide. Likewise, the present swivel connector permits rotary movement of the buoy as may be caused by the elements without affecting the electrical contacts.

Referring now to the drawings, which illustrate the preferred embodiment of the invention, the present swivel connector indicated generally at it is herein shown as embodied in a mooring buoy E2. The mooring buoy [2 may comprises a hollow metallic drum having a pipe I4 extending through the center thereof in which the connector unit Hl may be supported and through which the cable leads may pass. The swivel connector is provided at its upper end with a detachable cable is carrying the conductors from the ship, and the lower end of the connector is provided with a fixed cable [8 carrying the conductors leading from the mooring buoy to shore.

In general as herein shown the swivel connector comprises a rotatable inner section 28 extending above the buoy and to which the wires from the ship are connected, and a relatively stationary outer or supporting section 22 attached to and movable with the mooring buoy and to which the wires from the shore are connected. As herein shown, the top plate 24 of the mooring buoy is provided with a threaded hub portion 26 to which a flanged member 28 may be attached thus providing a mooring space about which the ships hawser, not shown, may be looped in a manner such as to permit rotation of the looped portion about the buoy. The pipe I extends above the buoy as shown to provide a space about which an outrigger bracket 38 is rotatably mounted, the outwardly extended portion 32 of which is arranged to be clamped about the cable It as shown in Fig. 1 to prevent any direct strain on the'cable connections. In practice, the cable 55, leading from the ship to the mooring buoy, is preferably attached to the hawser in order to relieve any strain on the cable between the ship and the mooring buoy. Thus, in operation, when the ship drifts about the buoy, the members attached to the buoy including the hawser, cable, outrigger bracket and the rotatable section 2d of the connector unit Iii, are permitted to freely rotate thereabout whereby to prevent twisting and straining of the hawser and cable.

The individual conductors from the end of the cable 85 are attached to a plug member 34 arranged to be telescopically received in a receptacle 35 supported in a casing 38. The plug member 35 is likewise supported in a casing 40 arranged to be detachably secured to the receptacle casing 38. As herein shown, the plug member 34 is supported in its casing 40 by a flanged ring 39 attached to the casing by screws The end of the sheathed portion or the cable I5 is supported in the plug casing at by leak proof connections which include a conical rubber washer 54 mounted on the cable and fitted against the tapering walls 56 of the mouth of the casing, a metal washer 58 bearing against the top of the conical washer, and which also includes a threaded cap member 60 which may be tightened down to squeeze the rubber washer against the cable and the tapered walls to form a water tight connection. A set screw 62 may be provided in the cap member 63 to hold the latter in its adjusted position.

The receptacle 36 is supported in its casing 38 by a flanged ring as fitted against a shouldered portion 66 of the casing and held in place by'a threaded collar 68 as clearly shown in Fig. 1. Provision is made for detachably connecting the plug casing (iii to the receptacle casing 38 to provide a water tight jointand, as herein shown, a rubber washer 42 is received in a grooved portion id of the receptacle casing and is arranged to abut against a flanged portion 46 of the plug casing. Swing bolts as pivotally carried by the receptacle casing are arranged to be received in slots 50 provided in the flange 45, and nuts 52 provided on the bolts may be tightened down to hold the plug casing in tightly fitting engagement with the receptacle casing. The plug and receptacle contacts To, 12, see Figs. 10 and 12, may comprise the usual male and female contacts of the plug and socket type for connecting the individual conductors from the cable It to the swivel connector wires 14 leading from the receptacle.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the receptacle casing 38 is keyed and clamped to the upper end of an intermediate cylindrical connecting member it forming part of the rotatable contact unit 29 and which extends downwardly into and is rotatably supported by a relatively stationary casing Ti. The connecting member 76 is provided with a square opening '58 at its lower end, see Figs. 1 and 5, arranged to receive the square end 8!! of a hollow elongated insulating core 82, upon which the movable contacts are mounted, the square connections efiecting rotation of the core member 82 with the intermediate connecting member 15 during the operation of the apparatus. The lower end of the insulating core 82 is provided with a bearing member 86 rotatably supported in a bearing 88 formed in the lower end of the stationary casing 17, upon which the stationary contacts are supported, a thrust washer 92 being provided between the bearing surfaces, as shown in Fig. 1. A collar 9Q may be pinned to the lower end of the bearing member 86 to prevent vertical displacement of the rotatable contact carrying unitZii.

Provision is made for forming a water tight bearing connection between the rotatable unit 20 and the stationary unit 22 and, as better shown in Fig. 8, hemp packing rings 96 are provided between the rotatable intermediate connecting member 16 and the stationary contact carrying casing TI. The packing rings 96 are maintained in compressed and water tight engagement with the parts by a plurality of coil springs 98, see Figs. 7 and 8, which are supported in sockets provided in a ring I and which yieldingly engage the underside of the packing rings 96 to urge them upwardly against an upper retaining member 12. The retaining member I932 is adjustably secured to the stationary casing 'i'l by bolts We arranged to be tightened down to compress the packing rings against the springs.

The contact carrying members including the rotatable unit 28 and the stationary unit 22 are carried within and supported by a protective outer casing m6 which, in turn, is supported by and extends within the elongated hollow pipe H3 forming a part of the mooring buoy. As herein shown, the pipe it is provided with a flange plate I68 around its upper edge 11131011 which a flanged portion llil ofthe protective casing hi6 rests. The upper end of the contact carrying casing Ti is provided with a shouldered portion H2 which fits snugly into the upper end of the outer casing led and, the casing i3 is likewise provided with a flanged portion lit which over lies the flange lit. The flanges Hi3 and iii are connected together by fiat head screws 1 it, a rubber gasket l l 8 being provided between the flanges to provide a water tight joint. The casing members 11 and H36 being thus connected together are attached as a unit to the flange plate Hit by bolts I20, as shown in Fig. 1. As herein shown, see Figs. 1 and 6, the lower end of the contact carrying casing 11 may be provided with web portions or arms I22 which extend outwardly and loosely engage a raised portion I24 within the casing I86 whereby to maintain the lower end :of the casing 11 in concentric relation with the casing I86 and to prevent lateral displacement thereof.

Referring now to Figs. 1 and 2, the individual wires 14 leading from the receptacle 36 are arranged to be connected to their respective individual contact rings I26 in a novel and improved manner in order to form an efi'icient connection and to provide maximum insulating protection for the connections. As herein shown, the insulating core 82, which may comprise hard rubber, phenol-formaldehyde condensation product or other suitable insulating material, is provided with a plurality of radially spaced grooves or flutes I28, each designed. to receive one of the Wires 14. Each contact ring I26 is mounted on a flanged insulating collar I38 of a size such as to fit snugly over the core 82, and as shown in Fig. 2 each ring is provided with an inwardl extended lug I32 which passes through the insulating collar I38 and is arranged to fit into one of the grooves I28. Each lug I32 is provided with a hole into which the uncovered end or a wire is fitted and then soldered into place. It will be observed that in their assembled condition, the flanged collars I38 insulate adjacent contact rings from one another.

In assembling the contact rings I26 and leads 14 upon the core 82 in accordance with the present invention, the following procedure or sequence of operations may be followed: The wires may be numbered in accordance with their particular contact rings, and first, a wire corresponding to the first IOI lower contact ring is inserted into the lug I32 and soldered. Then the ring is slipped over the core, the lug I32 being inserted into one of the grooves I28 and the wire being pressed down into the roove. The second wire is then connected to the lug portion of its respective contact ring and the same procedure is followed, the lu I32 being received in the next adjacent groove I28, and the ring being slipped over the core and over the preceding wire lying in its groove I26. Successive wires are thus connected to their contact rings and the collars assembled in adjacent relationship, succeeding collars passing over preceding wires disposed in the grooves I28. With this construction, several advantages accrue: first, the lugs I32 provide a convenient point of attachment to form an efliicient connection; second, the lugs I32 being received in the grooves I28 serve as keys to keep the collars I38 and the contact rings from turning on the core member 82; and the insulating collars I38 embracing the wires in the grooves serve to retain them in place upon the core member 82.

As illustrated in Fig. 1, the wires 14 leading from the receptacle 36 pass through an opening in the bottom [of the casing 38, through the hollow intermediate connecting member 16 and through openings I34 provided at the lower end of the member 16 between the cylindrical portion and the integral square portion thereof as best shown in Fig. 5. The wires then pass through openings l36 formed in a guide ring or collar I38 disposed between the lower end of the member 16 and the contact carrying unit, hence the wires are received in the grooves I 28 and connected to-their individual contact rings I26, as above described. An insulating Washer I48 is also providedbetween the part I38 and the up per contact ring I26, as illustrated. The metal bearing members 88, 86 provided at either end of the insulating core 82 may and preferably will be formed integral with the core by being moulded or otherwise secured thereto.

Referring now to Figs. 2, 3 and 4, the stationary contacts comprise a series of brushes or contact fingers I42, each arranged to yieldingly engage with its individual contact ring I26. The contact fingers I42 are mounted upon an elongated terminal block I44 secured to the casing 11 by screws I46, see Fig. 4. The contact fingers comprise yieldable contacts I48 secured to the upper ends of spring arms I58, the lower ends being provided with clamp plates I52 and attached to the terminal block I44 by screws I54. Individual wires I56 :from the cable I8 are connected to their respective contact fingers I42 by being soldered onto the plates I52. The terminal block I44, as herein shown, may be provided with grooves I58 into which the individual wires leading from the contact fingers may be guided in order to keep them separated and in orderly arrangement. The wires I56 then pass along the outside of the casing 11, as best shown in Fig. 3, and through openings I68 between the arms I22 and into the cable I8. As shown in Fig. 1, the cable I8 leading to the shore comprises a lead sheath which may and preferably will be provided with a wiped joint I62 at the extended outlet of the protective casing I86, thus sealing the movable and stationary contact units within the casing in a manner such as to provide a water tight chamber therefor. In order to prevent excessive strain on the depending cable I8 and to take up the weight thereof, a, clamping unit I64 may be provided which, as herein shown, is connected by bolts I66 to ears I68 extendin from the casing I86. The lower end of the clamping unit I64 is provided with clamping surfaces I18 arranged to be tightened around the cable by bolts I12. Arms I14 extending from the lower end of the unit I64 are arranged to engage the inner walls of the pipe I4 to prevent lateral displacement of the unit when in use.

When the communication system is not in use provision is made for covering the detachable connections in a manner such as to protect them from the weather and the sea. As best shown in Figs. 9 and 18, a cover member I16, which may be secured to the receptacle casing 38 by a chain I18, may be placed over the open end of the receptacle casing and clamped into watertight engagement with the rubber washer 42 by the swing bolts 48. Likewise, the plug end of the cable I6 may be protected, when not in use, by a cover member I88 provided with a rubber washer 42 and with swing bolts 48 arranged to be received in the slots 58 of the plug casing 48, as shown in Figs. 11 and 12. The cover member I88 may also be attached to the plug casing 48 by a chain I82 to prevent loss thereof when not in use.

From the above description, it will be observed that, in operation, the ship with which communication is to be established, proceeds to the mooring buoy, attaches its hawser to the space provided, and after removing the protective covering members I16, I88 from the receptacle and plug casings, the plug 34 is inserted into the receptacle 36 and the casings 38 and 48 are secured together by the bolts 48 whereupon the cable may be clamped in the bracket 82. Thus, whenever the ship or the mooring buoy might be a ran es moved or rotated with relation 'to each other such as when the mooring buoy is tossed about in 'the sea by wind or tide,xor, when 'the ship might drift around the buoy, the rotary contact unit permits maintenance of the contacts without undue strain upon the electrical connections.

Although the present invention has been lllustrated and described as being embodied "in'a communicationsystem designed for use -forcommunication between ship and shore, it will be apparent that theswivel connector may-be embodied in other electrical systems Where the points of connection are subject to movement with relation to each other. For example, when the unit 50 is embodied in apiece of ordnance the stationary unit 22 may be mounted in an opening in the concrete foundation ior :the gun and the cable t6 leading from the rotary unit 20 may lead to the various control motors of the.

rotary gun mount "whereby to permit rotation of the cable without entanglement of the wires and Without requiring retracing of the rotary movement in the reverse direction to maintain the connec'ti'onsin operative condition.

An important advantage of the present swivel electrical connector is its adaptability for embodiment in a relatively small space, the actual inside diameteroithe pipe 14 in the mooring buoy or the equivalentspace provided in a gun foundation being approximately five inches and at the same time providing a central core of approximately one and one sixteenth diameter for the installation of other utilities as above described.

While the presentcontactrings I26 of the swive1 connector are designed to maintain continuous contact it will be obvious that where noncontinuous or interruption of current is desired the interposition of insulated sectors or raised insulated portions at selected points *in the ring will effect interruption of the current at predetermined intervals where such conditions are required.

It will also be observed that the specific structure of the packing connection, and also the disposition of the wires in the insulating core and'the manner of connecting the wires to the contact rings maybe embodied with advantage iii-other forms of rotating electrical units.

While the preferred embodiment of the inventi'on has been herein illustrated and described, it will be understood that the invention may be embodied in other forms within the scope 'of the following claims.

Having thus described the invention, what "is claimed is:

'1. In a ship to shore communication system, the combination with a swivel connector and fioatacle means'for supporting the connector in the sea, said connector comprising a relatively stationary contact unit attached to and movable with said supporting means, and a movable contact unit arranged to cooperate with and mounted to rotate with relation to said relatively stationary unit, :of a cable detachably connected to the rotatable member of the connector and leading to the ship, and a secondcable leading to shore and connected to the stationary member-of the connector, and cable ciamping means comprising an outrigger bracket mounted to rotate'ab0ut said floatabie supporting means for clamping said detachably connected'ca'ble IL/01381"- mit rotation with said rotatable unit, said floating'connectorserving to permit-theship todrift around the same without interruption of communication ffrom shi'p toshore.

2. :In. :a -ship to shore communication system, the combination. with a swivel connector and fioatable means for supporting the connector in the sea, said connector comprising a rotatable contact carrying section and a relatively Sta:- tionary contact carrying section connected to and movable with said means, said stationary section being provided with a plurality of con tact fingers for cooperation with said rotary section, said rotary section comprising an elongated insulating core having a plurality of radially spaced longitudinal grooves formed therein, a plurality of contact rings mounted on said core and insulated one from the other, each of said contact rings being provided with an inwardly extended lug=to which its individual wire is connected, said lugs being received in successive of said grooves with their connected wires lying-directly in and being closely confined by said grooves Wherebyto permit disposition of a maxi-- mum number of wires in a relatively small rotary section, the wires extending from the ends of said grooves, successive contact rings being arranged to slide over said insulating core and over the preceding wires disposed in saidgrooves, of a cabledetachably connected to the rotatable member of the connector andleading'to the ship, and a second cable leading to shore and connected to the stationary member'of theconnector, and cable clamping means comprising an outrigger bracket mounted to rotate about said fioatablesupporting means for clampingsaid detachabl-y connected cable to permitirotation with said rotatable section, said floating connector serving to permit the ship to drift around the same without interruption of communication from ship :to shore.

-3. in a ship to shore communication system, the combination with a swivel electrical connector and fioatable means for supporting the connector in the sea, said connector comprising a relatively stationary section and a movable section rotatably mounted therein and cooperating'therewith, said sections having secured thereto cooperating electrical contact units, and detachable cable clamping meanscomprising an outrigger bracketmounted to-rotate about said-floating supportingmeans to permit rotation with said rotatable section, of a cable detachabl-y connected to the contacts 'of the rotatable member of the connector and leading to the ship,and a second cable leading toshor'e and connected to the=contacts 0f the stationary member of the connector, said floating eonneotor serving to permit the ship todrift aroundthe'same without interruption of communication from ship toshore.

4. In a ship to shore communication system, the combination -vvit'h a swivel electrical connector and floatable means for supporting the connector in the sea, said connector comprising a relatively stationary section and a cooperating movable section rotatablymounted thereimsaid sections each having securedthereto cooperating electrical contact units,'said rotatable section ex; tending above the stationary section, a protective casing enclosing said stationary section, a second protective casing enclosing the extended portion of said rotatable section, and a packing connection between'said relatively stationary and movable sectionssaid packing connection comprising packing'material, an outer're'taining member, and means for yielding'ly compressing said packing material against said retaining member, of a cable detachably connected to the electrical contact unit of the rotatable membe of the connector and leading to the ship, and a second cable leading to shore and connected to the electrical contact unit of the stationary member of the connector, and cable clamping means comprising an outrigger bracket mounted to rotate about said floatable supporting means for clamping said detachably connected cable to permit rotation with said rotatable section, said floating connector serving to permit the ship to drift around the same without interruption of communication from ship to shore.

5. In a ship to shore communication system, the combination with a swivel electrical connector mounted to float in an upright position in the sea, said swivel connector comprising a stationary section and a movable section rotatably connected in and mounted above said stationary section, said sections each having secured thereto cooperating electrical contact units, a receptacle having electrical contacts connected to the contact unit of said rotatable section, of a cable provided with a plug adapted to be received in said receptacle, said cable leading to the ship and a second cable leading to shore connected to the contact unit of the stationary member of the connector, and cable clamping means comprising an outrigger bracket mounted to rotate about said floatable supporting means for clamping said detachably connected cable to permit rotation with said rotatable section, said floating connector serving to permit the ship to drift around the same without interruption of communication from ship to shore.

6. In a ship to shore communication system, the combination with a swivel electrical connector mounted to float in an upright position in the sea, said swivel connector comprising a stationary section and a movable section rotatably connected in and mounted above said stationary section, said sections each having secured thereto cooperating electrical contact units, a receptacle having electrical contacts connected to the contact unit of said rotatable section, a protective housing formed about said receptacle, of a cable provided with a plug adapted to be received in said receptacle and a second protective housing formed about said plug and adapted to be detachably connected to the aforesaid receptacle housing, said cable leading to the ship and a second cable leading to shore connected to the contact unit of the stationary member of the connector, and cable clamping means comprising an outrigger bracket mounted to rotate about said floatable supporting means for clamping said detachably connected cable to permit rotation with said rotatable section, said floating connector serving to permit the ship to drift around the same without interruption of communication from ship to shore.

7. In a ship to shore communication system, the combination with a swivel electrical connector mounted to float in an upright position in the sea, said swivel connector comprising a stationary section and a movable section rotatably connected in and mounted above said stationary section, said sections each having secured thereto cooperating electrical contact units, a receptacle having electrical contacts connected to the contact unit of said rotatable section, a protective housing formed about said receptacle, of a cable provided with a plug adapted to be received in said receptacle and a second protective housing formed about said plug member and adapted to be detachably connected to the aforesaid receptacle housing, each of said housings being provided with cover members adapted to close the housings when the plug member is detached from the receptacle, said cable leading to the ship and a second cable leading to shore connected to the contact unit of the stationary member of the connector, and cable clamping means comprising an outrig er bracket mounted to rotate about said floatable supporting means for clamping said detachably connected cable to permit rotation with said rotatable section, said floating connector serving to permit the ship to drift around the same without interruption of communication from ship to shore.

ALF E. ANDERSON.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,291,070 Bruno July 28, 1942 2,345,019 Van Alstyne Mar. 28, 1944 1,731,597 Spear Oct. 15, 1929 1,265,163 Bahls May 7, 1918 1,480,656 Blackburn Jan. 15, 1924 2,319,443 Corte May 18, 1943 2,030,768 Schultz Feb. 11, 1936 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 594,833 Germany Mar. 22, 1934 431,714 Great Britain 1935 

